Drama at the Wedding

"Could you zip me up, Mel?" a woman asked.

I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. I saw my sister-in-law, Shirley Lawson, changing in front of me. It took me a while to be sure that I'd been reborn.

I ignored Shirley's request and hurried out of the room, heading to the banquet hall. There, I saw Gretchen Lane, my mother-in-law, holding Shirley's mother-in-law's hand. She said, "I've always focused on raising Shirley well, and she's obedient and faithful. You're lucky to have her as a daughter-in-law!

"You're not like me. My daughter-in-law is a loose woman who sleeps around with other men. She's even contracted an STD. Oh, why is life so harsh to me?"

Everyone at the table turned to look at her when she said that. They couldn't believe she would talk about her daughter-in-law like that.

A neighbor who knew me said, "Melinda doesn't look like the type! Are you sure there isn't a misunderstanding, Gretchen?"

Gretchen continued, "You guys only see what happens on the surface. In truth, she frequently comes home in the middle of the night after doing God-knows-what. She could've been cheating for all I know! Besides, would I air my dirty laundry like this if it weren't true?"

My blood boiled when I heard her. In my past life, her lies had been the cause of my death. I had to make her clear things up!

However, Shirley grabbed my arm and stopped me. "Mom must be spouting nonsense because she's drunk, Mel. I'll tell her to shut up right now. It's my wedding day, so please don't cause a scene here, if only for my sake."

I'd been married to her brother, Jacob Lawson, for two years, and she and I had gotten along well throughout this time. That was why I'd given in to her pleas in my past life. But now, I knew that my life was more important than her pride and dignity.

I shook her off and approached Gretchen from behind. She was still going on about how I was a loose woman who slept around with other men.

"I don't know how Jake fell for such a shameless hussy. What will I do if she passes her germs to him?" she cried.

"Who are you accusing of having an STD, Gretchen?" I snapped.

She jolted at my voice and turned to look at me. Then, she patted her chest. "Were you trying to scare me to death, Melinda?"

"You have nothing to fear if you haven't done anything wrong. Did you react like that because you know you're in the wrong?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "My conscience is clear because I haven't done anything wrong. As for you…"

Shirley hurriedly stopped her. "Mom, everyone's here to celebrate my marriage. Don't spout nonsense just because you're drunk!"

Gretchen stopped and composed herself when she heard that. Then, she said to me, "I didn't say anything. I was just chatting with Shirley's in-laws."

Shirley relaxed. She turned to me with a smile and said, "See, Mel? Mom didn't say anything. Let's talk about this after the wedding, okay? We can work things out as a family."